A dad and daughter have been reunited with each other after 50 years apart.
Jane Graham lost contact with her dad, James McGarvie, when she was around three years old after the breakdown of her parent’s marriage saw her move to Kenton with her mum.
But as Jane, from North Tyneside, grew up she never stopped wondering about her dad and joined Ancestery.com in a bid to find him, but around a decade ago possible leads fell through.
But two years ago she found out the name of her dad’s second wife, she was able to locate her on Facebook and messaged asking if she had the right person – but the message went unanswered for more than a year until a family member read it.
This paved the pathway for Jane getting a phone number for her dad and the pair met on August 9 last year for the first time and discovered her dad was living just four miles from where she grew up, Chronicle Live reports.
She said: “When I was at my son’s wedding in Zante I got a message saying it was the right person. She said she had been scrolling through her grandma’s messages as she’s not on Facebook often and saw mine.
“I just could not believe it. I asked if he was still alive and she said yes. It was a huge, huge thing.”
When she returned from Zante Jane was given her dad’s number and they were able to speak for the first time in decades.
She said: “I asked if I could come and see him and he said he would love that.
“I was shaking because it had been such a long time and we met each other.
“We are so alike. He likes to collect flashing things and gadgets. I love all that sort of stuff.
“His skin is so soft and so is mine, I thought that is where I get mine. It was so overwhelming.
“He was just lovely. When I met him I was in tears, I’m so grateful.”
Jane said it was like the last piece of the jigsaw coming together.
She said: “I wondered and wondered and wanted to find my dad. It was like the missing piece of me. The problem was being not allowed to talk about him to my mum so I didn’t have a name.
“When my mum passed away that made me search again as I didn’t feel like I was going behind her back.”
Speaking about their reunion, James said: “She rang me on August 4 and said I was her dad. She said it was Jane, your daughter and I could not believe it.
“I was over the moon, there were tears of happiness. I am chuffed to bits and could not ask for a better daughter.”
James often thought about his daughter over the years but had little information on her whereabouts – but did trace where she worked at one point.
“I was at the bus stop and knew where she worked, but I was too nervous to go in,” he said.
Now, Jane wants to organise a special surprise for her dad and take him to see Newcastle United play at St James’ Park before the end of the season.